The Keep Carnaby’s Flying – Ngoolarks Forever project is science-informed and community-powered, and is the 2025 Award Winner of the Premier's Science Awards for Science Engagement Initiative of the Year.
In the project’s ignition stage (2022-24) we worked with local governments, environmental and wildlife NGOs and Aboriginal organisations to undertake community engagement for black cockatoo conservation across Perth. Over two years, we produced eight individual, data-informed black cockatoo Conservation Action Plans for local government authorities, to help councils identify how best to protect black cockatoos and their foraging and roost habitat. We installed bird waterers and undertook revegetation with black cockatoo food trees, to help iconic, endangered, much-loved Ngoolarks (Carnaby’s cockatoos) survive in our city.
Our aim is for the project to continue to engage the community to ‘keep Carnaby’s flying’ and safeguard their future, by giving the birds more food trees, water and habitat in Perth and beyond. We hope the project’s collaborations among local governments, NGOs and Friends of Bushland groups will continue, with ongoing revegetation to provide new Carnaby’s cockatoo food and habitat every year. We hope also to develop black cockatoo Conservation Action Plans for more local governments.
Winner of 2025 Premier's Science Award for Science Engagement Initiative of the Year
We are delighted to share that the Keep Carnaby’s Flying - Ngoolarks Forever project is this year’s recipient of the Premier's Science Engagement Initiative of the Year Award, recognised for its strong impact on raising community awareness, interest and participation in science across Western Australia.
Some of the outcomes/achievements of the projects included planting about 50,000 black cockatoo food-plants, establishing city-wide bird drinking-station networks, and producing science-based Black Cockatoo Conservation Action Plans for councils. Community partners are now engaging directly with councils to implement these science-informed Action Plans to protect Perth’s black cockatoos.
We hope that this project’s collaborations among local governments, NGOs and Friends of Bushland groups will continue beyond the project’s lifetime, with ongoing revegetation and rewilding activities to provide new Carnaby’s cockatoo food and habitat every year.
Showcasing important priorities
Our initial two-year ignition project was supported by Lotterywest. The project aligns with Lotterywest’s priority of Protected Sustainable Ecosystems, helping Perth become a viable ecosystem to protect and sustain Ngoolarks. As well, the community revegetation actions that we undertook aligned with Lotterywest’s priorities of Inclusive Thriving Community and Active Healthy People.
